The Hand That Feeds Him
by JuniperMoon
Summary: Luffy skipping a meal! No way! Sanji goes to find out what's wrong. A LuffyXsanji pairing (or attempt there-of) because someone had too. Slight OCC-ness (When romance and emotions are involved it always seems to be a bit OCC for One Piece, especially Luff


The Hand That Feeds Him  
  
Luffy is skipping a meal? Why? Sanji goes to find out. A Luffy/Sanji pairing because it had to be done if not by anyone else than by me. OCC-ness for Luffy (because him being serious when not about to kick someones ass is hard to believe)  
  
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"Empty chair." Sanji stated simply. The hungry faces of Nami, Usopp, Zoro, and Chopper ignored him regardless and looked instead to the tasty looking platter of food their chef was carrying just out of reach.  
  
"EMPTY CHAIR." he stated again with more of the annoyance he felt slipping into his rising voice. He lifted the tray higher to perhaps inspire an explanation that way.  
  
It was a long standing rule, Sanji required the crew to tell him if they were not going to be at the table come dinner time. It was information he required if everyone was to be happy. Then he could know how much to make for the remaining crew members or if he'd have to put something aside to be reheated later. Common courtesy for everyone involved besides! Still here it was, dinner time, and a chair remained vacant.  
  
"Just put the food down, stupid chef." Zoro demanded glaring at the ships current food provider who currently was not providing.  
  
"No one gets any food till I know who's missing and why I wasn't told!" the blond demanded back matching Zoro glare with a particularly icy one of his own.  
  
Seeing the conflict at an inpass the crew looked at each other taking a mental role call, shock appeared on their faces simultaneously.  
  
"Luffy?!" Everyone shouted at once, reaching the same conclusion.  
  
"The idiot must have gotten into trouble! He'd never miss dinner!" Nami looked to Zoro for confirmation. With a slight nod and his hand on his sword, he agreed, rising from the table. A tenseness filled the room.  
  
"Wait!" Chopper called out breaking the tension momentarily as everyone turned and looked at the diminutive reindeer. The sudden shift of focus made him a little nervous but he continued. "Uh, I think Luffy told me and Usopp that he'd be missing dinner." The crews mouths dropped open in disbelief as Usopp punched one hand into the other in sudden remembrance.  
  
"Oh yeah! I was showing Chopper some tips on proper lying."  
  
////Flashback///  
  
Usopp leaned against the mast eyes partially closed, trying to look scholarly as if he were a great sage lecturing to his disciple. Chopper sat next to him with much interest totally buying into the effect.  
  
"Chopper some stories just won't seem believable if people think they know better."  
  
"Really? Like what?"  
  
"Well like saying Zoro is really weak or Sanjis' cooking is disgusting or..."  
  
Luffy walks by with a frustrated look, spots the pair and seems to come to a decision. "I'm going to miss dinner tonight, Could you let Sanji know?" Usopp and Chopper absently nod as Luffy continues on his way.  
  
"or like Luffy missing a meal or that Nami doesn't cheat at cards..." Usopp continued, oblivious that he ever paused.  
  
///end flashback///  
  
Nami whacked Usopp in the head.  
  
"I do not cheat at cards!!"  
  
"Who do you think you're fooling?" Zoro asked as he sat back down, relieved that the mystery was solved and dinner would still be warm.  
  
"What?!" She glared at Zoro.  
  
"Well, after living with mermen so long, of course she'd turn into a card shark." Usopp added snickering to his joke.  
  
Sanji stood stock still with a haunted expression. Luffy was missing this fine cuisine on purpose? What reason could possibly exist? Chopper would have noticed if he were coming down with a cold. He placed the platter of food down on the table and the current argument was suspended as the inevitable free for all began (as it tended to do when Sanji didn't feel like serving the food already dished out on individual plates).  
  
The blond chef turned and started to slink from the room, paused a moment and then walked back grabbing a leg of the meat.  
  
"I'm going to knock some sense into the idiot. " He stated to no one in particular as he exited the room once more.  
  
Sanji found his idiot captain sprawled d out on the upper deck looking like he was half starved! The boys eyes were sunken in and his tongue hang loosely out of his mouth as he held his stomach.  
  
Luffys stomach rumbled and he moaned.  
  
"Soooo hunnnnnngrrrryy...I wonder what meat Sanji made. I bet it's good."  
  
"Of course it's good! And what do you think you're doing up here if your hungry!? We're on a ocean! What if something happened?! You need to keep your strength up!" He paused. Maybe he was being a little rough without hearing the explanation. "Here." He held out the leg of meat to the captain, who drooled at it's appearance but surprisingly didn't snatch it.  
  
Luffys stomach grumbled again and he looked pained.  
  
"Your body is trying to tell you something you super moron!"  
  
"Heeheeh. Sorry! But I decided I'm not going to eat your food."  
  
A vain twitched in Sanjis head as anger threated to explode but it ebbed away as fast as it came. He sighed and sat down next to the rubber man as he plucked a cigarette in to his mouth.  
  
"Can you not stomach my cooking anymore?"  
  
"That's not it."  
  
"You sick?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"THEN WHY?"  
  
"Because you don't care."  
  
"What?! That's ridiculous! I wouldn't be here if I didn't care."  
  
"No. You don't get it!"  
  
"Explain then!"  
  
Luffy pointed to the leg of meat.  
  
"If I were Nami would you have brought that like you did? I think you would have at least put it on a plate, if not accompanying some rice or something. When you serve food, Nami gets a flower on her plate sometimes and you make sure Zoros wooden cup doesn't leak or warp. Usopp and Chopper get little appetizers when they are up in the crows nest." He looked at Sanji who seemed to be in shock that their somewhat dim captain had noticed these things.  
  
"But what about me? Do you think I'm a dog, Sanji? You like me least!" He finished in a long whine of misery.  
  
"Luffy." The cook moved closer to the boy and put an arm around him to comfort and reassure him. "You couldn't be anymore wrong. I joined this crew because of you, no matter what I said at the time." He took a puff on his cigarette and noticed no improvement in Luffys sad visage. "You're right, and I'm sorry, I didn't put as much effort into your plate, but I figured you didn't need a fancy presentation like the rest of them. You of all people can see whats going on under the surface. I feel like a big phony if I try to impress you."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"So, you've tired to impress me before?"  
  
"Of course. I wanted you to be happy that you chose me from Barratie and not some other chef."  
  
"That's silly. I've always liked you and the food you make, that could be why I eat so much of it."  
  
Sanji chuckled. "I Doubt it, but thanks. And its no more silly than saying I like you least."  
  
"I guess. Hey! What's that?!" He pointed over the blonds shoulder and as Sanji turned Luffy deftly stole the meat he was carrying. When Sanji looked back he sighed.  
  
"You didn't have to steal it, I brought it up here for you."  
  
"Ya! Ya! I know! It's more fun this way!" Luffy smiled back as he took a big bite and then leaned against his cooks chest. Sanji stiffened slightly, forgetting he was still close with his arm around him. He started to remove the arm when Luffy snuggled against him slightly. The blond relaxed immeaditly, returning the arm and even squeezing a little like a partial hug.  
  
There was something so innocent and pure about his captain, and even though he knew Luffy was more powerful than himself in a fight it didn't stop the chef to want to protect him. To keep his heart and soul safe. He wanted to do the same for Nami too, protect the tender heart beneath the cool exterior but the struggle always felt in vain. When he got close enough to peak at Namis heart it was covered in steal and locked behind gates. Sanji had always felt a little useless guarding something so well protected. Something not even he got to touch.  
  
Sanji ran his fingers through Luffys untidy hair. Luffys heart had a welcome matt, how could he be so trusting? How could he be so brave as to not worry about getting hurt? It was this quality that probably ensnared Sanji to get on the Going Merry to begin with. Luffys' total belief and determination in the dream.  
  
"Sanji?" The cook looked at the boy in his arms and blushed, loosening his grip.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I chose you because I liked you best."  
  
"I'm glad."  
  
Luffy moved to face Sanji, making it a true embrace, hugging the surprised cook tightly.  
  
"And I still do."  
  
"What?!" Sanji screamed, well actually it came more as a horse unsure whisper.  
  
"That's okay, right? That I like you best? That I want to hold you like this?"  
  
"Luffy, I think. I think I like you best too."  
  
Luffy smiled and buried his face into the blonds shoulder.  
  
"But I don't deserve you Luffy, you're too innocent. If I touch you I'll mess that up."  
  
Luffy thought about this for a second.  
  
"You don't mess up a cake by putting it in the oven, you just need someone who knows what their doing to protect it from burning."  
  
Sanji smiled at that and put out his cigarette. Luffy had a way at being insightful.  
  
"Could I protect you, Luffy?" Luffy pulled his face from the mans suit and kissed Sanji sweetly.  
  
"You already are, Sanji, you already are." 


End file.
